Dear Readers,
You are all cordially invited to the wedding of Miss Evangeline Winthrop and Professor Severus Snape. I hope that everyone enjoys the festivities. Thank you all so much for your time and attention.
shadowycat
Culmination of Dreams
Severus opened his eyes and stared up at the verdant canopy over his bed. Today was his wedding day! Finally! After an eternity of waiting! Anxious to get the day started, he threw back the covers and sat up, clutched his head in pain, and fell off the side of the bed.
"Black, so help me, I'm going to wring your neck the next time I see you!" he muttered darkly, as he picked himself up off the floor and groaned at the throbbing that was threatening to take off the top of his head. This would never do. This was the day he'd waited so long for, and Black's little amusement was not going to ruin it for him.
As he'd predicted, he'd used up his entire stock of headache reliever potion over the past few days, so grumbling to himself, he put on his bathrobe and walked…very carefully…to his classroom, where he began pulling ingredients out of the storeroom to make a fresh batch. As he began to figure out amounts in his head, another thought struck him, and he doubled his amounts. Then he thought of Hagrid and decided a triple batch would probably be best.
As a headache relief potion was something he could practically make in his sleep, shortly he was standing over a gently simmering cauldron, despite the fact that his head hurt so much that he could barely focus on what was immediately in front of him. Thankfully, he dipped a goblet in and took a long satisfying drink. Almost immediately, the pounding in his head ceased. Closing his eyes in ecstasy at the sudden cessation of pain, he gave a deep sigh of relief. The absence of pain is vastly underrated. Then he carefully filled five bottles with the potion and summoned a house elf.
When the elf appeared, eager to be of service, he presented him with the bottles and instructed, "Would you please deliver these bottles to Professor Dumbledore, Professor Lupin, Professor Flitwick, Mr. Filch, and Hagrid with my compliments. I assure you, they'll know what it's for. Thank you."
The house elf bowed, collected the bottles, and vanished promptly. House elves had learned it was wisest not to linger around Professor Snape.
Snape began to empty out what potion was left in the cauldron, and then thought better of it. Instead, he poured the remainder into another bottle. He smiled to himself. Perhaps if Black comes and begs hard enough, he'll take pity on him. Then again…perhaps not. After finishing his clean up, he picked up the final bottle, smiled nastily at it, and carried it back to his room. Where he left it on the mantle as he went to get dressed.
*********************************************************************************
Full of happy anticipation, Evangeline leaned against the window curtain and stared out through the pane of glass at a beautiful morning, when there was a knock at the door. She turned with a smile and called gaily, "Come in."
The door opened to reveal Minerva McGonagall with a tray of food in her hands.
Evangeline smiled happily at her friend. "You haven't brought me breakfast in a long time, Minerva. I've missed that."
Minerva smiled, put down her tray, and came over and embraced the younger woman. "I've missed sharing private meals with you too, Evangeline. Well, are you nervous?"
Evangeline shook her head. "No. I'm just happy, and a bit anxious. I want everything to go well, and let's face it, we don't have the best track record for that. I've waited for today for so long; I just want to get on with it! We should have said 8 a.m.! How will I ever wait until 4 p.m.?"
"The time will go quickly, Evangeline. You'll see. And everything will go smoothly. We won't allow anything else! Now come and eat. Have you taken your anti-nausea potion?" Minerva drew the bride-to-be away from the window.
Evangeline sat down at the table and unfolded her napkin in her lap. "Yes, mother," she said with a grin.
With sparkling eyes, Minerva smiled at her. "What a lovely compliment to start the day!"
**********************************************************************************
Severus waved his wand and conjured up a pier glass. Normally he had no use for anything more than the smallish mirror in his bathroom and precious little use for that, if the truth were told, but today constituted special circumstances. As the groom, he needed to look his best. Every man in that chapel would be looking at him today with envy, a very unusual position for him to find himself in, but one he meant to enjoy to the utmost.
It felt so strange not to be wearing his usual black robes, but he'd promised Evangeline something less cumbersome that would be easier to remove. As a result, he wore a flowing white silk shirt and a green cravat held together with a diamond stickpin. Over the shirt he wore a black fitted vest with entwining serpents embroidered on it in green and silver thread. Black fitted trousers and boots completed the outfit. He smirked to himself in anticipation; hopefully this would fit the bill nicely, although she really didn't need to worry. He'd take care of the little impediment of clothing quite easily when the time came, and it couldn't come soon enough for him!
The Potions Master studied his reflection seriously. He looked as suitable as he could manage. Nothing short of strong enchantments could alter his nose or his teeth or his complexion. He'd done the best he could with his hair, washing it three times until its shine was from cleanliness not its usual oiliness, a lifelong problem. He'd tried pulling it back to get it out of the way entirely, but all that did was emphasize his nose. Not a good choice.
He shook his head. He simply couldn't figure out what a lovely woman like Evangeline could possibly see in someone like him. If the dictionary were illustrated, his face would appear firmly planted next to the word…unattractive; possibly there'd be a cameo appearance next to homely, as well. He sighed…okay, ugly wasn't out of the realm of possibility either, but none of that ever seemed to matter to Evangeline. What did she see when she looked at him anyway? He shook his head in bewilderment once more and smiled wryly. He supposed it really didn't matter as long as she continued to look at him with love in her eyes.
Somehow fate had slipped up when they'd met, and actually allowed her to somehow overlook the way he'd treated her that day. He'd been his usual insufferable self, but she'd seen through all that and actually found in him someone that she felt was worth getting to know better. How had he ever gotten so lucky?
His smile faded as worry squirmed into his thoughts and began to chip away at his self-esteem again, never his strongest trait. How likely was it to last? Good things so seldom did for him, and Evangeline was simply the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He straightened up and glared into the mirror. No! This wasn't the way to be thinking today of all days. Today he was getting married to the most wonderful woman he'd ever met, and he wasn't going to ruin it with pessimistic thoughts about the future. For once, he was going to try to expect the best. Things would work out this time. In just a couple of hours, Evangeline would be his…forever. Nothing would change that now. Not even Remus Lupin.
That thought caused him to scowl at his reflection. For once he was actually happy that Lupin was a Gryffindor. The man was so decent and honorable that he'd never in a million years think of trying to come between them, even if he was in love with Evangeline himself. He may not have called the werewolf on it, but he was absolutely sure that he was right about that. There was no doubt that Lupin loved her. Once he'd opened his eyes and used the sense he'd been born with, it had been blatantly obvious. That's why Lupin had been so utterly devastated by Malfoy's actions in that damn tower. If he'd been in Lupin's place he'd have been just as devastated to have been forced to rape the woman he loved in such a vicious and violent manner.
He sighed and reached up to adjust his cravat one more time. No, as long as Lupin remained the foolishly honorable and noble Gryffindor he'd been born, he had nothing to worry about from him. He could even spare some sympathy for the man, after all, he was the lucky one marrying Evangeline today not Lupin, and he could afford to be generous. Once they were married though, if Lupin ever put his hands on his wife…well, let's just say that his generosity would take on a whole new flavor.
******************************************************************************
Remus Lupin wrestled with his cravat. Stupid thing! Why did fashion so often dictate that men had to wear some sort of decorative rag around their neck at formal occasions? Why did men put up with it? Damn! He jumped and began to suck on his finger where he'd stabbed it with the stickpin.
He looked at his reflection in the mirror and mentally sighed. What a pitiful mess! His hair was unkempt, his red cravat was hanging oddly, the black vest, embroidered with a pattern of leaping griffins in red and gold thread, was missing a button, his shirt was half untucked and to top it all off he was standing here sucking on his finger like an infant. How appealing. No wonder he was such a dismal failure with women.
While he was checking to see if the bleeding had stopped, there was a knock at the door. Still a bit distracted by his minor injury, he called out for whomever it was to come in. The door opened and Lupin looked up to see a sheepish looking Sirius Black reflected in the full-length mirror that he'd propped up against his desk.
Black smiled one of his trademark charming smiles. "Hi. Can I come in?"
Lupin sighed and turned around to face him. "Yes, you can come in, if you promise not to try to cause any trouble."
Black rubbed the back of his neck. "Look, Moony, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was out of line with those cracks about Snape…I…guess. I just wanted to make you feel better. Us facing the enemy together was always an unbeatable combination in the past. I didn't mean to get you upset."
Lupin nodded. "Uh, huh, and what about last night?"
Black squirmed. "What do you mean? Last night was great. I really thought Snape would enjoy the Veela. I certainly did." He smirked.
Lupin shook his head and crossed his arms. "Not the Veela. What did you put in Severus' drink? He sent headache relieving potions to everyone who'd been at the party last night, only none of us needed any. Obviously that wasn't the case for him."
Black frowned. "He didn't send any to me."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "What a surprise. What was it, Sirius?"
"Nothing too bad, I promise. It was just something I got off a guy in Diagon Alley."
Lupin raised the other eyebrow.
"Okay, okay…he was near the entrance to Knockturn Alley, but it really wasn't anything terrible, honest. This guy said it would relax you and put you in the mood, if you know what I mean. Come on, you know as well as I do that Snape wasn't going to be able to relax and enjoy that bachelor party on his own. I just thought I'd help him out a bit."
"And enjoy the show at the same time."
Black grinned and shrugged. "Well…maybe."
Lupin sighed in disgust and turned back to the mirror to try to put his clothes in better order.
"Oh, come on, Remus. No harm done."
"Everything is a joke to you, isn't it?" Lupin asked quietly.
Black shook his head. "No, of course not. It's just hard to change a lifetime of behavior overnight. I'm trying where Snape is concerned, I really am. That stuff I gave him didn't do more than make him a little dizzy and give him a headache. I knew that Dr. Frankenstein wouldn't have any trouble curing himself of that. He's fine, and I promise I'll be a good boy for the rest of the day."
Lupin sighed and after he tucked in his shirt to his satisfaction, he began to retie his cravat for the fortieth time.
Black watched him with serious eyes. "Anyway, I'm not worrying about Snape at the moment, I'm worrying about you."
Still facing the mirror, Lupin raised his eyes to his friend's reflection in surprise. "Me? Why would you be worrying about me? I'm fine. Obviously Severus and I got things all worked out. I'm still alive. Evangeline is still speaking to me, and the wedding is on. There's nothing to worry about any longer. You're wasting your time if you're worrying about me."
Black nodded. "Right. Now this is the part where you tell me that it's no problem for you to stand up in front of everyone and watch the woman you love marry someone else, and I'm just supposed to believe you."
Lupin closed his eyes painfully and bowed his head. "Thank you so much for reminding me, Sirius. I wasn't aware of what I was doing at all until you so thoughtfully drove the point home again."
Black stuffed his hands into the pockets of his dress robes and looked down at the floor. "I'm sorry, Remus. I'm just messing things up again, aren't I? I just know today is going to be hard for you, and I wanted you to know I'm here for you if you need me."
With a sigh and a sad smile, Lupin turned around to face his friend. "Thank you, Sirius. I know you mean well, but I'd really rather not talk about this any more. I agreed to be the best man at this wedding, and I just want to get through it as quickly as I can and move on. Once I can get away from Severus and Evangeline for awhile, I'll be able to put my feelings for her behind me and get on with my life. Just a few more hours, and it'll all be over. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Okay?"
"Okay." Black nodded, and turned to go. He paused in the open door and looked back. "You know, you are the best man at this wedding. Evangeline's a fool to pick Snape over you."
Lupin smiled. "She doesn't think so, Sirius, and it's her opinion that really counts here. Now go on. I'll be down as soon as I can get these clothes to behave right."
Black smiled back and with a final nod, went out the door and closed it quietly behind him.
The best man turned back to his reflection in the mirror and wished fervently that the bride agreed with Black even though he knew in his heart that she never would.
*****************************************************************************
Evangeline sighed and waved her arms uselessly above her head. She found herself smothered in fabric as Minerva and Eleanor struggled to try to get her into her wedding dress while Ariantha watched from a chair and smiled a superior smile.
Once the dress was in place, and all three women were arranging it properly, Ariantha made her pronouncement. "Evangeline, while I'm sure that's a lovely dress, it has far too much fabric to be currently fashionable. All the smartest brides are wearing gowns that present a much more fitted silhouette at the moment, and trains, no matter how short, are definitely out."
All three women paused and turned to stare at the singer, who smiled serenely back at them as she continued, "It's not as if you don't have a nice figure to show off, after all. No one would ever guess that you're pregnant."
Evangeline frowned in exasperation at her friend. "Aria, to my knowledge you've never gotten married yourself. What makes you such an expert on wedding fashions?"
Ariantha continued to smile smugly as she smoothed the skirt of her form fitting ice blue gown. "I may not have walked down the aisle myself, Evangeline, dear, but do you have the slightest idea how many weddings I've sung at? Believe me, I've attended fashionable weddings all across Europe. I know what I'm talking about. I wish you'd consulted with me before you got your gown. I could've steered you to a wonderful couturier I know who'd have created something simply breathtaking for you."
Evangeline turned and studied her reflection in the pier glass. Even with the smudge on her nose and her hair mussed from the dress, she was quite happy with what she saw and doubted that Ariantha's couturier could have come up with anything that she'd have liked more.
"Well, I may not be setting any fashion trends, Aria, but I'm quite happy with my gown. I'm not out to impress anyone here…except possibly Severus, and frankly I doubt if he'll even notice what I'm wearing, as long as I show up on time."
Ariantha looked horrified. "What do you mean, on time? The bride is always late! It's tradition. This is your show, Evangeline. You need to keep your audience on the edge of their seats. Build the anticipation…"
"And drive the groom out of his mind?" Evangeline cut in dryly. "Thanks for the advice, Aria, but I know the man I'm marrying, he's probably already about to jump out of his skin and down the throat of anyone who speaks to him. It would be nothing but cruelty to keep him waiting at the altar while I build "audience anticipation"."
She smiled at the very idea. "Besides, I'm every bit as anxious as he is to get married. Why would I waste valuable time that could be better spent marrying the man I love and getting on with our life together?"
Ariantha smirked at her. "I knew I was right. Snape must be fantastic in bed if you're that eager to get the formalities over with and get on with the wedding night. You can never tell with the quiet ones. Come on, spill it. I want details."
Both Evangeline and Minerva turned bright scarlet at Ariantha's comment and Eleanor sighed. "Aria, Evangeline's love life is her own business. Let's just concentrate on the wedding shall we, and let them worry about the wedding night."
Ariantha rolled her eyes at Eleanor. "Oh, Eleanor, you're such a stick in the mud. You used to be a lot more fun at school. You've been spending far too much time with the goblins. When I get back to Paris, I'll have to see if I can't dig up someone really fun for you. You definitely need to get out more."
Eleanor crossed her arms across her chest and frowned at Ariantha. "I'm perfectly capable of finding someone "fun" all on my own, Aria. You just worry about your own love life and leave mine alone."
Ariantha smiled calculatingly and turned to admire her own face in the mirror. "Oh, all right, if that's the way you want it. Personally, I think you're just a bit miffed because all the eligible men around here preferred me to you. James has been very sweet and a lot of fun, but maybe it's time I spent a little time with the other one, what's his name? Oh, yes, Remus. He's quite cute, too, and he's a big fan of my music as well. He's also rather quiet…so who knows? He might be worth a little of my time." Her glittering eyes sought Eleanor's in the glass.
Eleanor frowned in annoyance. Evangeline could sense a storm coming in and didn't quite know how to defuse it. She turned helplessly to Minerva.
Minerva patted her arm reassuringly, drew herself up, and put on her best stern teacher face. "Ladies, let's not forget why we're here. This is Evangeline's wedding day, and I know that you both want to do all that you can to make it special for her, so let's concentrate on getting the bride ready to walk down the aisle, shall we?"
Both young women turned back to the bride with slightly guilty smiles on their faces.
Minerva smiled. "Good. Now, Eleanor why don't you unpack that veil if you will, and Ariantha, please get me that hairbrush on the dresser, so I can smooth Evangeline's hair back into place."
As both women rushed to do Minerva's bidding, Evangeline gave her a hug. "Thank you, Minerva. I don't know what I'd do without you today."
Minerva smiled complacently. "I'm glad to be able to help you, Evangeline. You mean a lot to me, dear. I just want to see you happy."
Evangeline gave her a brilliant smile. "I will be, Minerva. I'm marrying the man I love more than anything in the world. I can't imagine being anything except wonderfully happy for the rest of our lives together, and hopefully that will be for a long long time."
***************************************************************************
As the hour set for the ceremony rapidly approached, Snape, Lupin, and Dumbledore passed the time in a little room off the side of the chapel, waiting while the seats inside filled up with excited guests. Anxious anticipation was so thick in the air that it was virtually the same as having a fourth personage sharing the small space.
Snape paced back and forth looking very nervous and fidgeting anxiously with his cravat. His restless thoughts flitted around and around in circles. "Could she possibly have changed her mind at the last second? Realized how much better she could do? What woman would voluntarily chain herself to him for the rest of her life, after all? He was hardly prince charming out of some romantic fictional drivel! He probably had more in common with the frog…or the serpent."
Tired of watching the nervous groom pace, Lupin put a hand on his shoulder. "Relax, Severus! She's going to show up."
Snape frowned and stared at him in confusion. "How did you know what I was thinking?" he demanded.
Lupin grinned at him. "That's what all nervous grooms are thinking. You, however, have nothing to worry about. Evangeline is every bit as anxious as you are to get married. She loves you, Severus! Now, try to relax."
With a strained expression on his pale face, Snape took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll try, but it won't be easy. This day has simply been far too long in coming. This infernal waiting is driving me insane! I'm not a patient man!"
Lupin smiled inwardly. "No kidding, I'd never have guessed." Shot through his mind as quick as lightning. Fortunately he had the presence of mind to catch the thought and squash it before it escaped through his mouth. Instead he nodded amiably in understanding and said nothing. He was actually rather anxious for it all to be over as well. With a dim sense of pain and longing, he looked forward to putting this day behind him and escaping from Hogwarts for the summer. Space and distance were all that could truly grant him peace.
Dumbledore, in his most impressively flamboyant red and gold robes, came over and patted Snape on the back with a happy smile on his kind face. "Are you ready, my boy? It's almost time."
With a sigh, Snape nodded shortly. "I've been ready for weeks, Albus. I just want to get this over with!"
Dumbledore nodded in understanding and smiled broadly. "Then let's go into the chapel. I hear the music starting."
The three of them moved to the front of the small stonewalled chapel, filled with colorful flowers and golden sunlight. The warm wood of the pews shown with the beeswax that the busy house elves had used to polish everything in sight in anticipation of this happy event. The wedding guests filled the pews and chatted quietly with each other as they waited eagerly for the ceremony to begin.
The bright sun was shining through the clerestory of stain glass windows, creating interesting and colorful patterns on the silvery gray flagstone floor. There was no altar at the front of the room. Dumbledore stood in front of a floor to ceiling green and silver tapestry and faced the assembled guests. On the floor before him was a very large circle incised into the stone. Its edge pulsed with silver and gold binding energy.
While music played softly, Snape and Lupin took their places on Dumbledore's left, and they all turned and watched the door at the back of the room intently. At the stroke of four, Minerva, in a lovely red and gold gown, began to walk slowly down the aisle carrying two red roses tied together with green ribbon. When she reached the front of the room and moved to Dumbledore's right, the music changed. All eyes returned to the back of the chapel, where the bride now stood framed in the doorway.
Evangeline's hair had been pulled off her face and allowed to cascade freely down her back in a mass of shining curls. A few stray wispy curls remained to frame her lovely face, which wore a contented smile as she sought out the eyes of her eager groom. She wore a circle of red roses on her head, which set lightly on a gauzy veil that extended down her back. Her wedding dress was a simple off the shoulder gown, with a fitted bodice and a soft flowing skirt. The delicate fabric caressed her figure flatteringly as it fell gently to the floor and trailed back behind her in a short train. It was a dazzling white with an over skirt of silver-edged lace which shimmered slightly as she moved. Around her neck, she wore a beautiful heart-shaped ruby necklace, and she carried four red roses tied with green ribbon.
As everyone watched, she moved gracefully down the aisle with a serene smile on her face. Snape never took his eyes off her. It was obvious to all who watched that no one else existed for them at the moment but each other. When she reached the front of the chapel, she stepped up next to Snape, and took his hand. The two of them stared happily at each other for a moment, then they stepped into the binding circle and turned to face Dumbledore.
Dumbledore beamed contentedly at them and began to speak. "When Evangeline first came to Hogwarts almost a year ago, I had a feeling that she'd change things around here. I hoped the changes would be for the better, but the changes she wrought surprised even me. The life she changed the most, turned out to be yours Severus. I, for one, will be eternally grateful to her because she did the one thing I despaired of anyone ever doing for you. She made you happy."
They both smiled at each other, then at Albus, who continued warmly, "And now it makes me happy to be the one to join the two of you in marriage."
Evangeline turned and handed her bouquet to Minerva to hold for the remainder of the ceremony. Then she and Severus turned and faced each other within the binding circle's magical embrace. They reached up and clasped hands at shoulder level and stared deeply into each other's eyes. No regrets today, no pain and sorrow, only a very deep love and a profound hope for the future.
The ceremony was a simple and ancient one, where two people recited their pledge of love and honor before witnesses and then allowed the binding circle to work its magic to bind their souls together as one. This magical binding created a deep emotional bond between the couple who experienced it. This ancient type of magical joining was not the most common form of wedding ceremony used within the magical world, because it forced a level of emotional honesty on a marriage that not all couples were ready to commit to. Not to mention the fact that if the couple were in any way ill matched, the magic might not react properly and the joining wouldn't take place. Rather embarrassing to experience in front of a room full of wedding guests.
Evangeline had been pleasantly surprised when Severus had actually been the one to suggest that they undergo this most intimate of marriage ceremonies and had been more than happy to agree, having no doubts at all that the binding would work properly for them, and would result in a deeper more intimate bond for them to share.
And now, finally, the moment of truth had arrived, with beatific smiles on their faces; they recited the binding vows together.
"I promise to honor and love you my soul mate and partner above all others and to bind myself in fidelity and truth to you alone for all time."
After the vow was voiced aloud for all to witness and mark, the circle began to pulse with powerful energy. Gold and silver streamers of magic began to erupt from its edge.
Severus and Evangeline dropped their hands and then clasped only their left hands together in front of them. Dumbledore produced a long golden ribbon with silver edges and proceeded to bind their hands tightly together in an intricate pattern. When he was finished he smiled happily at them and stepped back out of the circle.
Then he raised his hands high and intoned in a strong ringing voice. "Iugo Matrimonium".
Suddenly the gold and silver binding energy flared up into a blinding circle of magic so strong and powerful that it completely obscured the couple inside the circle, and proclaimed to all who watched the rightness of the match. For as long as a minute all anyone could see was a swirling tube of sparkling glittering energy flowing ever upward at the front of the chapel.
Gradually the energy began to fade and the pulsing plumes fell back into a glittering circle on the floor. All eyes were once more focused on the bride and groom within the circle. The ribbon that had bound their left hands together was gone and in its place, they each wore a gold band with silver edges on the fourth finger of their left hand. An outward symbol of their new inner commitment to one another.
With smiles of pure delight on both of their faces they glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded happily and spread his arms wide. "It is done. Where there were two, now there is one."
Then he dropped his hands and winked at them. "I'm sure you know what to do now," he murmured in a happy and slightly conspiratorial tone.
Taking that for permission, Severus took his smiling wife into his arms and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss to seal their vow and pledge themselves to each other forever.
*************************************************************************************************************
Author's Note: Thanks to everyone for reading this story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Next chapter, we take a peek at the honeymoon. I tried to make it a little lighter and more humorous, so I hope everyone will have fun reading it. Please let me know what you thought of the wedding and the ceremony I chose. I always appreciate your input, it's been a big help to me in my writing. Thanks again.